May 2000

Eddy LouissSentimental FeelingDreyfus Records

Eddy Louiss, the premier French organist, has a new record out, called Sentimental Feeling ostensibly to warmly recall his varied career. However, the scope of the album is much more limited, and the ersatz settings don't leave much space for true organ artistry, as it devolves into a soupy melange.
He's in a jazz funk setting, and for some cuts it's a trio with bassist Jukio Rakotonanahary and Ivory Coast drummer Paco Sery, with a fusion, electric-like sound that evokes that genre. For most of the album, there's a large brass orchestra (also featuring saxophonists Daniel Huck and Xavier Cobo) that is overwhelming in its bloated sweep.
The overall aura is an eclectic funk that bumps along rather than swings, and does nothing to furnish any sort of moving sound that otherwise would be the hallmark of the Louiss grandeur.